Absolute Zero
by Johnny Valentine
Summary: Cold. Gray Fullbuster hasn't felt the cold in years. But when his dreams are haunted with images of a frozen, desolate world, he feels a chill in the air. As he begins to doubt himself more and more, he becomes aware of a presence stalking him. Tracking him. Ready to kill. Gray's biggest fear becomes a surreal possibility. He sees the end. Did he cause it? (Gruvia, Gray POV,)
1. The Wasteland

Ice spread across the silent wastes, unforgiving, desolate and lifeless. the air was almost solid with the chill, like a haze that made my heartbeat slow and my energy fade away. The sky was black. Not the dark of night but it was as if the sun had burnt out, leaving only frozen tundra. There was no life. Only me, dragging my feet through snow so cold that it sent buzzes of pain rushing up my body. Looking out at the terrifying frozen hell, I could only muster up a tiny ounce of emotion.

Guilt.

Had I done this?

* * *

><p>"STRIPPER!"<p>

I may have screamed like a little girl. I'm not saying I did, but it's a distinct possibility. I jumped about a foot into the air and toppled backwards off the stool and crashed onto the floor. I heard laughter. I growled and tried to force myself back up, but I did it too fast and my head spun as I crunched back down onto the guild hall floor.

Natsu cackled and leaned down to face me. I glared up at him.

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath, taking a hand offered by the onlooking Mirajane and struggling onto two feet. Had I dozed off? That wasn't usually something I did, which I found slightly odd. I put aside my curiosity and faced down the dragon-slayer.

"The hell was that for?! You could have woken me up like a normal person, rosy haired asshole."

Natsu looked surprised. I took a little more notice of my surroundings and saw the usual crowd, all looking at me and Natsu.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," sneered the fire mage, his glare pointed. I sighed, deciding that it required way too much effort to start an argument with Natsu.

"What Natsu was _going _to say," said Lucy, who was standing to my right, "Was that we were all going down to the hot springs if you wanted to join us.?" The last was a question and the busty blonde finished it with a sharp glare at Natsu. His expression read: _He started it_

I shook my head. What the hell was wrong with me? I could remember being in a relatively good mood earlier that day, despite being sore from a long mission the previous day. Then I had dozed off and…

Something was wrong. I felt off.

"Sorry Luce, I'm not feeling it. I might go home. Got bills and shit to do," I gave her an apologetic smile and went to grab my shirt, which I must've taken off at some point. Man, I gotta stop doing that.

"Well, if Grumpy isn't coming, then lets go!" Natsu said cheerfully, playfully punching me on the shoulder. I didn't offer him a response. The group, consisting of Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Carla, Gajeel, Levy and a sullen looking Pantherlily, all began to file out of the guild hall. I saw a few onlookers glance away, as they had obviously been interested in the short confrontation between Natsu and I. Nosy bastards.

Juvia gazed at me as she idly collected her things and began to leave with the others. I looked away from her. The less I thought about _that _situation, the longer I could go without facing it. I didn't know how to feel about the water mage. Sure, she was attractive and she was nice and… I had never been good with relationships. It made me feel uncomfortable how she was so taken with me. It wasn't that I disliked it or anything but…  
>It kind of made me wonder <em>why. <em>I was nothing special.

I glared at nothing. _What was wrong with me? _Had I suddenly taken to daydreaming and engaging in confusing internal monologues? I freaking hoped not. Life was complicated enough.

"Gray."  
>I turned and saw Wendy standing there, frowning at me thoughtfully.<p>

"You should go Wendy. They'll leave you behind." I said, buttoning my shirt absently.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, totally ignoring my comment. I pondered the question for a moment.

"No," I said shortly, slingling my small backpack over my now clothed shoulder.  
>"What's wrong?"<p>

"I…" I suddenly thought about it and realized what was wrong.

"I'm cold." I said.  
>"It is Winter," Wendy said.<br>"I don't get cold. Not since I started using Ice magic. It's a feeling I haven't felt in…" I paused. "I can't remember how long now."  
>"Maybe…" Wendy muttered, thinking.<p>

"I'll be fine. If it's still cold tomorrow, I'll talk to the Master or Levy or someone. They'll know if there's something up with mojo,"

Wendy nodded, still gazing at me thoughtfully. She came up with nothing obviously because she bade me farewell and rushed off to join the others.  
>I was cold. I snapped my fingers and in a second they were coated with Ice. So my magic was still working and, even stranger, the ice on my hands wasn't particularly cold. But there was this nasty chill that seemed to creep up my spine, something almost malevolent.<p>

I noticed something. I watched as a man I didn't recognise approached the bar and ordered a drink from Mira. She smiled at him and obliged. I noticed also, shockingly, he had the mark of Fairy Tail on his shoulder.

Huh.

He was tall, with very bright blonde hair and wearing a black leather duster that fell to his knees. It covered a dark blue shirt and black jeans. He wasn't particularly handsome or striking, just a regular looking guy with brown eyes. He was just… normal. Boring almost. I felt like falling asleep just looking at him.

When he left the bar, I approached it.  
>"Mira-chan, who was that guy?" Mira looked surprised.<p>

"That's Daro," she said, "He's a mage here. You don't know him?"

I didn't.

"How long's he been here?"

"Maybe a month? You of all people should know who he is, Gray,"

I frowned. "Why's that?"

"He's an Ice mage."

Another chill went right up my spine, making me physically shiver. I nodded and politely thanked Mira, before leaving.

Daro huh? Mira was right. If he was an Ice mage, I should have met him at some point. So why hadn't I? Also, was it just paranoia, or did he seem off somehow? He put my teeth on edge. He wasn't the most interesting guy to look at, but the mere sight of him made me cautious. As if he was an enemy. No one at Fairy Tail was my enemy.

Well, maybe Natsu. When he was being an ass.

Frowning and pulling my coat tighter around me, I left the Guild and pulled my hood up, guarding my face from the heavy rainfall that was now pounding on the ground.

I was just being suspicious. I had had a bad day and all I had done was get worked up over nothing.  
>Screw bills. I was going home and I was going to sleep. Maybe the next day would herald a slightly happier Gray Fullbuster.<p>

* * *

><p>A pair of eyes watched as the Ice mage left the guild hall. They were hungry, lapping up the way he moved and the way the wind and rain buffeted him as he left. Hunger.<br>Hunger and the desire to kill.


	2. The Coward

**Hi guys! I forgot to include my little PSA in the first chapter so here ya go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Duh**

**Rated T: Swearing, Violence, Adult themes. You know the drill. If you're under 14, this may corrupt your innocent mind.**

**Pairings: Gruvia (Obvs) but also some NaLu and other, random pairings.**

**Authors Note: This isn't JUST about pairings, so if that's all you're looking for, you've come to the wrong place. Also, any reference to "Absolute Zero" in this does not refer to Silver from the current arc of the Manga, who has that phrase written on his armor. I'm using the term with total poetic license here.**

**Anyway, enjoy!  
><strong>  
>Ah, sleep. Glorious, glorious sleep. I lay there, bundled in my blankets, no thoughts whirling in my head until I drifted away into a blissful, dark, warmth.<p>

Well.

That was the plan.

Instead, as soon as I closed my eyes, I was in the wasteland again. Mavis, I was getting sick of this sort of thing. I had never been very poetic or thoughtful so god knows why I kept on getting sucked into these horrible, haunting nightmares. Was it some kind of messed up metaphor or something. It meant something profound. Probably.

"Right," I said loudly, "Can I please go now, so I can have a nice dream about going to the shops naked or something?"  
>No reply.<p>

Go figure.

I looked around. One thing that was quite odd about the dream land I was revisiting was how real it felt. You know what I mean. You have a dream and while some part of your mind thinks it's real, the majority of it passes by in unrealistic flashes. Contorted shapes. People you knew acting out of character. There were usually pretty clear signs that it was a dream and not reality.

Not this time. The air felt real, cold and harsh against my bare skin. I was naked as well, and that felt real. I'd know, it's pretty much my default setting, nakedness. My body felt real, the heartbeat regular, the skin tingling just like it would in a snow felt real and everything around me looked just like it would if the world did come to a grisly, freezing end. The only thing that seemed too extreme, too horrible, was the cold. I dimly remembered being cold. While I had been chilly the day before, it hadn't compared to this. It was like it was when I had been training with Ur and Lyon. I hadn't been very powerful or very good at using my Ice magic back then, so the cold had been horrible. Every day, trying my hardest to muster some form of Ice magic, just enough to protect me from the bitter cold. Some days I would collapse from the strain of it. Cold isn't just a nasty feeling, something that makes you shiver. It's harsh and it drains you. You just want to curl up and sleep, to distance yourself from that biting chill. Ice sucks. Which is why I use Ice magic. Imagine that feeling multiplied and targeting you, and only you. That's the beauty of Ice magic, it is the perfect offense, for not only is it attacking you directly but it is also sapping your strength. Wrapping my arms around me, I began to feel a little guilty. How many people had I mercilessly attacked with my magic? Countless. It was all for good reasons but that didn't make the suffering they went through any less painful.

In some circumstances, that wasn't a bad thing.

"Gray." I looked around. My breath caught in my throat and I had to force myself not to fall on my ass. Yeah, the woman standing in front of me had appeared in my dreams before but never this _real.  
><em>  
>"Ur," I choked, feeling my heart rush with grief and guilt. <em>Come on Gray, pull yourself together!<em>

"Are you afraid, Gray?" she said. She looked the same as she had always done. Astonishing beauty mixed with an imperious sternness that in turn was coupled with a modicum of love and care. Only she didn't look caring. Her short, dark hair was ragged, frozen in parts. She too was naked and her body was slowly being frozen, bit by bit. Ice creeping up her legs from the ground, to her navel, and higher.

"Of course you're afraid. You're a coward after all." I didn't reply. Truth be told, I was afraid. I was a coward.

The thing that pissed me off was that I had no idea why.

"Gray-sama." came another voice. I knew it of course. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned. Juvia was in the same shape as Ur and I couldn't help but blush. Were my dreams too cheap to afford clothing or something?

"Do you love Juvia? Gray-sama," The girl said. I noticed her hands turning blue, as blue as her ragged, torn hair. Her eyes, usually a stunning deep blue, were blank and lifeless. I didn't reply, staring down at the snow. My legs too were beginning to freeze, numbing, slowly but surely.

Did I love her? Good freaking question. There was something there. Maybe.

I have the emotional maturity of a scabby horse. Sue me.

"I don't know," I muttered.

"Juvia is sad without Gray-sama. Juvia does not know why she loves him. He is worthless. He is a coward. He is weak."

I was all of those things. I knew that.

"Gray,"

Who was it now? With a heavy heart, I turned. I was greeted by many voices, all around me. Figures began to advance on me, all freezing in this wasteland. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Happy. There was Lyon too, and Ultear. My family, long dead at the hands of Deliora, the demon.  
>"Coward," They all said. I just stared at my feet. "Worthless. Weak. Stupid. Useless." It repeated. Again and again, growing louder as they all chanted about how terrible I was.<p>

Over.

and.

Over.

"GET OUT!" I screamed. I noticed numbly that I was crying, and as I roared, Ice burst up from the ground and suddenly, they were all frozen, haunting blue statues of death.

"GRAY."

The final voice was loud. It was obviously one single entity and it was just as obviously not. It had the power of thousands. It sounded immortal.  
>I looked up. The voice roared again, not out loud, but in my head. A cacophony of horrible, angry sound.<p>

The figure stood above me. It was really big. It was really scary.

It was really familiar.

"Deliora." I whispered, my voice shaking with absolute terror.

I watched as Zeref's great demon clenched a huge fist and brought it crashing down upon my head.

All I could do was watch.

And wait.

While I died.

* * *

><p>I screamed like a little girl for the second time in 24 hours. It took me a few seconds of dreamlike confusion to realize that I was fine. I was safe. I was at home.<p>

I was still cold. Darn. I would have to do something about that at some point. I pushed my covers off me and walked to my small fireplace in my room. The room was also connected to my kitchen and the bathroom was just off the hall. Before I went to relieve myself, I peered out of the curtains. It was late morning. I had slept for a long time.

When I returned from pissing and made myself coffee, I heard a pounding on my door.

"GRAY. IT'S NATSU." I growled down at my coffee.

"AND HAPPY."

"I DON'T HAVE ANY FISH!" I bellowed back. I then walked down the stairs and opened my front door. A few years before, Natsu had tried to kick it down, leaving the metal security fittings bent. I needed to drop my shoulder and put my whole body into opening it, but I did so.  
>"Dude," Natsu said, looking at me in shock, "It's not past 10 yet!"<p>

"So?" I growled at him.

"You're wearing pants!"

I looked down. So I was.

"What do you want?" I said, turning around and expecting the two to follow.

"We're going on a job. Wanna come?" I frowned at this. That was unusual. Usually, Natsu and Happy never went on a mission with just me. We'd usually end up fighting or breaking something unfortunately expensive.

"Not Lucy?"

"Nah," Natsu looked sheepish, still standing in the doorway. "We've been a bit rocky lately. Dunno what's wrong with her." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. He even talked about the celestial spirit mage like the two were in a relationship, but the stubborn idiots had never gotten close to that. I just shook my head and declined to comment.

"What's the job?"

"Haunted mansion,"

"Pay?"

"100,000 each."

I whistled. The haunting was probably nothing. We got those, paranoid customers who will pay a dime to see you chant a few words and make something go bang. Placebo effect ensues. We get paid. The one thing I like more than paranoid customers were wealthy paranoid customers.  
>"I'm in. See you at the town gate in half and hour."<p>

I went to get ready, still thinking about the dream as Natsu and Happy wandered off.

I really hoped it didn't mean anything.

Really hoped.


	3. The House

**Hey Guys! Thanks for the reviews TaylorRose16, Bubblycutie and Awesomenessdude and Thunder Explosion. You have no idea how much reviews mean to me. They're like little hugs! Also, props to everyone who followed and favourited, means a lot guys!  
>Two Things:<br>1. Remember, this takes place inside Gray's head. Thus, grammar issues such as "Natsu and Me" instead of "Natsu and I" are simply how Gray thinks. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to care about that kind of stuff to me.  
>2. Can you spot the One Piece references? They're pretty obvious, if you follow the series haha.<br>Thanks and Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"God I hate trains," Natsu whimpered.<p>

I looked down at him. Usually, I could respect the dragon-slayer's disposition; his strength, his mental fortitude and most of all, his determination.  
>Most of the time.<p>

"Get out of the gutter dude,"

I said, looking around bashfully at onlookers who were all glaring at Natsu. I smiled apologetically at a woman who was passing by. She turned her curious daughter away and hurried off in the opposite direction. It was totally Natsu's fault.

Once the fire mage had recovered from his transport-induced nausea, he leaped up and exclaimed, in an excited, relieved voice, "I'm all fired up!"  
>I just looked at him. Happy responded with his usual "Aye sir!" and I just shook my head.<p>

"Where's this mansion?" I asked, looking around the train station for a map or something. The town was about an hours train ride from Magnolia, sheltered underneath the shadow of Mount Hakobe. I hadn't actually visited the place before, which was odd as I was relatively familiar with the towns near Magnolia. I noticed a large, embossed signpost on the platform that read:

**HIKEN, TOWN OF THE MOUNTAIN'S FIRE.**

"Town of the Mountain's Fire huh?" I muttered to myself.

"I dunno where the mansion is," said Natsu helpfully after a few moments of severe internal contemplation. I sighed and approached a young man waiting on the station. He wore a plain brown suit and looked slightly intimidated as we approached him, even more so as he noticed the guild emblem on Natsu's bare shoulder.

"Excuse me sir, would you have any idea where we could find the…" I glanced down at the job poster in my hand. "er… Enkai Mansion?"

The man looked slightly confused but answered me.  
>"Straight up the main road, there's a big sign that points up the mountain. It's about a twenty minute walk from there." He paused for a moment before saying quietly, "Don't know why you'd <em>want <em>to go there, but it's your funeral."

A chill went up my spine as he said that. It was becoming quite a common sensation. I contemplated asking the man why he said that, but decided against it. Usually, whatever normal people saw as scary or dangerous, we wizards saw as target practice.

Or maybe punching bags. I hoped there was something to let loose on in the mansion. I had steam I needed to blow off. I thanked the man and Natsu, Happy and I trooped out of the station and onto the main road, where we set up a steady pace, keeping an eye out for the sign pointing to the enigmatic Enkai Mansion.

"You all good dude?" asked Natsu as we walked. His voice sounded concerned, which was quite odd. It wasn't that the fire mage was insensitive, but he definitely had difficulty in noticing when people weren't okay. I was okay though.

I think.

"I… Yeah, I'm good," I said back to him after a moments hesitation. Happy leaped off of Natsu's shoulder and hovered about a foot from my face, moving steadily back in pace with me.

"No he isn't Natsu. He hesitated," I sent a flourish of ice shards at the little cat and he skittered away back to Natsu.

"I… Nah, I don't think I am okay," I said to them, gesturing up to the right. Ahead of us, a battered, beaten sign read:

**Enkai Mansion - 20 Minutes**

We started up an uneven gravel path about the width of five people walking shoulder to shoulder. Natsu stayed quiet, waiting for me to explain.  
>I was going to tell him about the dreams but instead I sighed and said mournfully, "It's Juvia."<p>

The dragon slayer blinked at me and nodded slowly, keeping pace with me despite my longer legs. I had gotten a lot taller over the last year and had grown about half a foot from Natsu's shaggy rose coloured mop. He hadn't liked that one bit.

"It's… Well, I dunno what I'm doing man," I started, before the words just came tumbling out. I had no idea where it was coming from, but the speech seemed almost pre-written as I blurted.

"I didn't really pay attention to her when she first joined the guild but, as we became closer, I began to like her. I like her hair, her voice, the way she talks about herself in third person, her eyes…"

I stopped, reddening slightly.

"I know I only have to snap my fingers and she'll come running, which makes me feel terrible. I think I like her Natsu but after the way I've been treating her, do I really deserve someone like that?"

I stopped speaking and just looked at my feet, concentrating on the walk and trying not to think about it. I hadn't actually done much internal monologuing on the subject of Juvia so I wasn't sure where the outburst had come from. It certainly wasn't on the top of my list of priorities and if I was going to talk to anyone about it, why had I chosen Natsu?

The dragon slayer remained quiet for a little while before grabbing me by the arm. I looked at him sharply, which was a bad idea as the next thing he did was to slap me as hard as he could. I was so surprised by the attack that I tripped over my own feet and sprawled into the dirt.

"Dude!" I said, angrily getting to my feet and snarling at him.

He didn't look angry, just annoyed.

"You're an idiot."

I glared at him and brushed the dirt from my long white duster, before continuing up the road. As we walked, the shadow of an enormous began to rise in the distance, gothic columns reaching up into the clear sky. Natsu walked on behind me, beginning to speak.

"You have the opportunity to have one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met with you, and you're overcomplicating it in your head. You like her, she likes you. Ask the girl out you idiot,"

I stayed silent. He was right. Of course he was, but it wasn't as easy as simply asking her out. Maybe wait a couple of months. I muddled with the idea for a few seconds before nodding and grunting an affirmative and approaching the mansion.

Now, Fairy Tail is a pretty decent sized guild. It's never had an issue with hosting it's many members and it's always been an impressive sight in the Magnolia skyline.  
>Enkai Mansion was <em>bigger.<em>It rose and rose into the sky, standing strong in the powerful mountain winds. I gulped.

"Woah," said the dragon slayer, whistling.

"Kind of looks like the Tower of Heaven doesn't it?" said Happy, hopping down from Natsu's shoulder and staring up at the huge stone doors.

I felt a chill and held my coat tighter around me. Something was off about the building. I could admire the complicated architecture and even found some of the turrets and pillars pretty, in a morbid kind of way. It didn't feel sinister, but it was definitely… wrong. Like that feeling you get when you enter an empty house. You know that there is no one home. That it's abandoned. It was pretty, silent and lifeless. The Enkai Mansion had all the beauty of a corpse, dressed nicely and made-up to look nice as it sunk below the earth.

"You wanna knock?"

I raised an eyebrow at the dragon-slayer, who to this day denies the fact that he was wetting himself. I snorted, ignoring my own pressing fear and slammed the door knocker hard against the doors. They boomed, once, twice, three times, before a heavy quiet pressed in on us.  
>The doors opened. More gulping ensued.<p>

A man stood in the door. He had one of those ageless faces, anywhere between 25 and 50. He had long black hair held back in a ponytail and sharp, glaring eyebrows over two haunting, almost black eyes. He was garbed in a flowing cape, black with red trimmings and wore a black suit to match underneath. He smiled at us. It wasn't a real smile, there was no joy inside it. It was just a formality. Nothing more.

"Ah. Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel. I was expecting you." He gestured for us to enter. We did so, coming into a gaping entrance hall with equally Gothic decorations and a huge, black steel chandelier. I blinked at the man as he shut the door behind us.

"How did you know our names?"

"I watched you at the Grand Magic Games. Very impressive show, I must say." His voice was weird. I think he had an accent, but for the life of me I can't remember what kind. His words were clipped but perfectly easy to understand.

"So sorry," he said, bowing slightly, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Count Vladish Tepei."

I shook his hand and immediately felt the surge of some kind of energy. It was magic, but I couldn't tell what kind. After a split second, it was gone. I watched Natsu as the dragon slayer too shook the Count's hand.

He didn't do anything. He smiled politely and returned his hands back to his pockets. Dragon slayers have amazingly accurate senses. They can track people using their scent, see further than most people, hear noises usually silent to human ears and generally notice things that normal humans don't. Not only that, they're very sensitive to magical energies. Veils, enchantments, illusions, a dragon slayer over any other mage has more of a chance to sense any kind of magical skullduggery. I stared at Natsu for a few seconds before I smiled awkwardly at the Count. He nodded at me and began to show us around the house. I was right. It was big. As far as I could tell, the guy had no staff. No cleaners, no cooks, nothing. Didn't seem to be anyone else in the house either. He had so much space he wasn't using. I'm pretty sure he could have given every homeless person in Fiore a place to sleep, to times over!

"What's the issue sir?" Natsu asked, with an uncharacteristic politeness. The Count nodded and began to explain as he showed us around the many rooms.

"I'm afraid the building is haunted. I've been attacked numerous times by furious spirits." Natsu and I both looked surprised as I asked.

"What do the spirits look like?"

"Warriors. Ancient Fioran by the looks of it. They're transparent, but they seem to have no trouble interacting with physical objects."

That _was _weird. I wasn't particularly familiar with Ectomancy, the study of speaking to the dead and raising ghosts. It was a difficult and dangerous magic to perform and above all, it was creepy as hell. The Magic Council frowned upon. What is dead should stay that way. Anyway, the weird thing about that was how the spirits were able to manipulate their surroundings so well. It sounded almost like…

"Do you have enemies, Count Vladish?" I inquired, taking a seat in his sitting room. He bade us wait and fetched several cups of tea.

On the sly, I extended my senses to check for poisons or enchantments in or on the tea. It wasn't evil tea though. Just Earl Grey.

"Not as such. I tend to keep myself to myself."

"Are you sure? Because what you're describing sounds a lot more like a magical construct than anything else. Either that or…"

I shivered and didn't finish my sentence. Either that or the spirits in this house were so powerful that they could manifest physical forms at will.

"_Don't know why you'd _want _to go up there, but it's your funeral."_

I really hoped not.

After a private deliberation, Natsu and I decided to stay the night. According to the Dracula wannabe, the spirits only showed themselves at night. Happy wasn't too, well, _happy _about that decision and neither was I to be frank, but it was our only option.

Also, money.

100,000 Jewels was rent money. Plain and simple.

We asked for a shared room. NOT because I didn't like sleeping alone, but because if something jumped us in the middle of the night, we could back each other up. Natsu and I blanched as the Count showed us the only shared room in the house, which had in it a king sized bed…

Nothing else.  
>I sighed. I really hoped Natsu didn't snore.<p>

* * *

><p>He did snore. He snored a lot. Despite Happy's initial fear, he also was sound asleep, making cute little purring sounds and muttering something about fish. I punched the dragon slayer again and again but he didn't shut up, so I decided to go for a walk. I'd told Natsu about my suspicions of Count Mysterious but he'd shrugged it off. He'd said that if he couldn't sense anything untoward about the guy, then nothing was wrong. Ego, thy name is dragon slayer.<p>

I wandered about the house, wearing nothing but trousers. I was surprised that the chill hadn't come back to me in the house, because I felt like my usual self. Cocky, extremely handsome and a low-key nudist.

It was about midnight when I found myself in the entrance hall we had first been in. It was probably cold, but I didn't feel it. I admired the moonlight glancing off the mirrors and paintings and began to dream of having a house of my own like this one day. Servants to satisfy my every need, a chef to cook me the tastiest food he could and a whole wardrobe of clothes I would eventually take off in public. Shared with a beautiful wife, Juvia... I cut myself off in the thought process. I was feeling on form and didn't want to bring myself down about the water mage. Stretching, I made my way to the kitchens to see if I could grab a snack. The Count had retired to his chambers early, leaving me and Natsu to feed ourselves in the town below. We never got time to explore before we decided to hit the hay. As I wandered, a few things caught my eye. Little things. Things I wouldn't usually be suspicious about. Something wasn't right about the house, I knew it.

I found the kitchen. Or rather, what would have been the kitchen. Only, there was nothing kitchen like in it. Yeah, there was a stove and a sink. I kettle for tea and a display case of china plates and cups. My heart began to leap in my chest. I opened a few, beautiful white drawers and found nothing. No utensils, no pots or pans, nothing. Rushing over to the pantry, my thoughts began to race in different directions. There was nothing in the pantry. Cobwebs lined the shelves and a rat skittered by. No food.

Nothing.

It hadn't been used for some time.

I made my way back out to the entrance hall and the one thing that had been pressing in the back of my head burst forth like a volcano.  
>There were no fucking curtains in the whole house. Not in our room, not in the sitting room, not in the entrance hall.<p>

Curtains.

Every house has curtains.

Every _inhabited _house that is.

No curtains. No food. No furnishings, apart from paintings and mirrors that I now realized weren't actually there.

Illusions.

Mavis damn it.

I extended my senses further and the entire house melted away from me. No paintings or mirrors. The staircase was battered and broken, the walls lined with holes and cobwebs. The floor was bare, cold concrete. The entire house was gutted, abandoned. It had taken a simple illusion to trick Natsu and I into seeing a beautiful mansion.

Nobody lived here.

As I felt danger approach, I let out a single scream.

"NATSU!"

A flash of purple light.

Then nothing.

Horrible, cold, nothing.

_"It's your funeral."  
><em>Well _shit_.


	4. The Fight

**Hiya Guys. Cheers for the reviews and favorites, it's a good feeling, Ya know? Sorry about the wait. Had exams to do and it was a hard chapter to write. Sorry if the quality falls short, but I just wanted to get this one out.  
><strong>**Any questions or queries, PM me! See ya! Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Ow.<p>

You know, for hell, it wasn't that bad. Mellow, peaceful. It was dark, but I could feel my body around me, floating in a seas of nothing. The chill wasn't there. I felt warm and soft as if I was swimming in an ocean of pillows.

Except my head really hurt.

Ow.

"Get up stripper,"

Sigh. Of course I wasn't dead. Life wasn't convenient enough for me to simply cease existing. It had to draw out the pain and torture and…

"You're not dying. Get the hell up Gray,"

Or not.

Sometimes, it doesn't pay to get up in the morning, no matter how much you're charging.

I opened my eyes. It was still dark and the concrete floor was cold under my cheek. I made a brief effort to mutter something about cocky, pyromaniac dragon slayers who would be waking up to a bed full of ice chips if they didn't shut up, before feeling around my head with my right hand. It came away wet. There was blood soaking through my shaggy black mop from a nasty gash on the crown of my skull. It stung, but it wasn't anything like deep or serious. I may have had a slight concussion. I'd had worse.

I began to struggle to my feet, grabbing Natsu's shoulder to steady myself. He let me, silently studying me. I stretched out and groaned loudly, before taking in my surroundings. The house was still a wreck, gutted like a pig from the inside. A blast of cold winter air blew in from a broken window, making me shiver with that same chill I'd felt back at Fairy Tail. Balls.

"You okay?" the dragon slayer asked me, not really sounding concerned. I didn't blame him. The two of us had each been in enough serious scrapes together that we knew on instinct when one of us was seriously wounded. It was almost instinctual, especially for Natsu. He was a stand up guy, but there was no denying what he was. A dragon. A predator. He saw prey. He knew that the weakest was often the easiest to grasp, to catch, to devour. He saw me and didn't see prey. He saw an equal. A rival.

And an ally.

"What happened?" I asked groggily, brushing muck from my torso and pants. The dragon slayer had just flopped onto the bed fully clothed and he was looking bright eyed and ready for battle. Happy sat on his shoulder, looking around suspiciously. I hadn't really noticed it, but over the last year, Happy too had become a better fighter. He wasn't much use as a powerhouse, but as someone who could judge a situation well and act accordingly, he was just fine. I'd seen him back Natsu up in ways he wouldn't have dared a couple of years ago. He was an impressive little cat.

"I heard you scream. Me and Happy rushed down and saw that Count dude crouched over you. There was all this purple light coming out of that gash on your head and it looked like he was absorbing it. I chucked a bolt of fire at him and he just vanished."

I growled. Of course this had been a trap. I had no idea why, but Count Tepei (if that was even his name) had lured us here to kill us. Or worse, whatever that was.

"Holy shit!" Natsu said suddenly, "What happened to the house?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You only just noticed?" I asked grinning slightly. Natsu scowled at me.  
>"Well I was a little bit preoccupied with saving your life, so I didn't have time to admire the view,"<p>

I cackled.

"It's an illusion," I explained, "This place hasn't been inhabited for… for a long time," I cracked my neck, loosening up my muscles for what I believed to be a tough fight. The Count had a lot of magical power. To manage an illusion of the size we had seen and to keep it going, hiding it from the senses of someone like a dragon slayer and keeping up pretences of an innocent hermit at the same time.  
>Sheesh. This guy had power. He had power in spades. This was guaranteed to make my day complicated before it even begun.<p>

"An illusion? You sensed it?" Natsu was surprised. I mean, I could do a lot of things. You want me to freeze an entire building? It's a done deal. You want me to chill the air so that it was hard for anyone but me to move? Again, I'm your man. But Natsu was better than me at some things. Sensing magical energy was one. Part of that was his dragon slaying blood, but he was generally just more sensitive to those kinds of things than other wizards. So why had I sensed the illusion and he hadn't.

I'M SURPRISED, YOU KNOW

We both jumped. The voice was… well, loud. It wasn't audible, but it was loud. It rang in our minds, humming with power and electricity and malice. Telepathy maybe, or some variation of it. Hell, thinking about it, the Count wasn't even necessarily human. I thought about my dream and the looming figure of Deliora that had crushed me like a bug. We knew that Zeref and his followers were growing in power, ever since the first appearance of Acnologia at Tenroujima. Was the mysterious Tepei a demon, straight out of Zeref's book?  
>No. That didn't add up. I'd felt his magic when I had shaken his hand. It had been dangerous and powerful, but it had been human.<br>I was the first to recover from the initial booming mental voice, and replied with a roar.

"Surprised with what?!"

THAT YOU SENSED MY ILLUSION. I COVERED ALL BASES. I EVEN MANAGED TO HIDE IT FROM YOUR DRAGON SLAYING FRIEND, A FEAT WORTHY OF PRAISE IF THERE EVER WAS ONE. HOW, MAY I ASK, DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU HAD BEEN HAD?

Ouch. The first sentence had been bad enough. Having the Count roar a mental paragraph into my head was much, much worse.

"The Curtains. You forgot the curtains."

Silence.

"Seriously?" asked Natsu, momentarily forgetting the incipient danger, "The curtains? That's what tipped you off?"

HMM. I KNEW I HAD FORGOTTEN A KEY ELEMENT IN MY PLANNING.

"Curtains? Freaking curtains?"

"Shut up Natsu,"

He did. I think he was a bit scared. I was a bit scared too. This fella was strong.

But we'd fought stronger. I'd battled masters of the art, powerful sorcerers, demons, evil things. I'd come out grinning every time, blood in my nails and aching all over.  
>I was alive and I wasn't going to bow down simply because this nocturnal twat told me to.<p>

"So," I said, willing confidence into my voice, "are you going to regale us with your evil villain speech? Maybe tell us all your plans and boast that we'll never be able to defeat you? Because if you are, get it over and done with. I have very little tolerance for cliches and we have places to be."

INSOLENCE. BUT I WILL SPEAK. IT IS NO MATTER TO ME IF YOU ARE AWARE OF MY PLANS. YOU'LL BE DEAD SOON ANYWAY.

"A reader of Bad Villain Monthly I see," I called.  
>"You joke, but it won't save you,"<p>

I jumped. Natsu and I spun, eyes widening. Calmly striding down the stairs was The Count. He looked exactly the same as he had, although I could now feel the magic weaving around him, a cloud of sickening, cold power.

"What do you want?" demanded Natsu, his voice hardening as he glared up at Tepei. He, Tepei, laughed lightly, before jumping with supernatural agility over the bannister and down to the floor, facing us. We tensed, our bodies subconsciously moving into combat stances.

"A meal," Tepei said, grinning at us. His eyes were scary. Not that weird purple black, not that. It was the obvious wisdom and age, coupled with something I had seen countless times before.  
>Madness. This man, if he was even that, was coldly, ferociously, insane.<br>The one thing worse than nutters: Nutters with magic.

"I am a wizard, like you both. However, I don't dabble in those pathetic, elemental magic tricks you seem so fond of. No, I use a much more powerful magic. Forbidden actually. It has no name, as all traces of it were erased from record, but I managed to get my hands on a detailed account of it's use, from before Zeref's time. I simply engaged in a bit of reverse engineering and found out that it was very easy to learn, once I had put my mind to it."

"What does it do?" I snarled, my hands steaming as ice formed around my knuckles.

"Drains you. I simply take the power and life force of a wizard and gain their power. I'm afraid not literally, but the energy inside them does allow my to engage in activities otherwise impossible to humans."

"Like what?"

"Like this," He said. Then he punched me.

At least, that's what I _think _happened. One second I was there and the next, aerial cartwheels. I slid fast across the floor and crashed heavily into the opposite wall. A second later, Natsu crashed straight into my. I got a mouthful of greasy, rosy hair (dude, do you even condition?) and then we were both sprawled on the floor, groaning.  
>Fast. Strong as hell. This guy was gonna be tough to beat.<p>

"I drain the life and power out of wizards. In return, I am bestowed with massive power. Not only that, their life force becomes my life force. I have been walking this earth since before your grandparents were even born."

"You must moisturize I lot," Natsu coughed, scrambling to his feet. I did so too, my entire body aching.  
>"You okay?"<br>"I hurt in places I didn't even know I had," replied the fire mage, "But I'm good. You?"  
>"Could be worse," I said. We grinned fleetingly at each other. Happy shook some rubble off his head and got to his feet as well. He looked a bit woozy but smiled defiantly.<p>

"How we gonna do this?" I asked.

"Hit him until he dies?"

"Sounds good," I said, then raised my hands and roared, "Ice Make: Lance!" In a second, my hands burst into white light and arrows of sharp ice shot from my outstretched hands, speeding towards Tepei. The lances moved closer and closer, until they were less than an inch from his face.  
>Then he was gone. Before I knew what was happening, Tepei was coming from my right, his feet a blur. I had never seen someone move as fast as he was. My defenses were down. I didn't have the time to ready a shield or dodge. I raised my arms in an attempt to defend myself.<p>

"Karyuu no Tekken!" came a roar as Natsu, wreathed in golden fire, dropped down on Tepei, his fist like lightning. He brought it crashing down on the Count, a punch with incalculable force. Again, Tepei was gone. Natsu foresaw this, the fire in his hands going out. Tepei appeared a second later, air shimmering around him maybe ten feet away from Natsu. The dragon slayer caught his descent, his feet suddenly bursting into flame.

"Ice Make: Sword!" I howled and a sharp, fierce looking longsword appeared in my right hand. I darted across the floor towards Tepei, sword arm raised.  
>"Karyuu no, Kagizume!" Natsu bellowed and used the power of his arms to push himself, feet first towards Tepei. In complete sync, we cannoned towards Tepei, Fire and Ice and pure destructive force ready to decimate our enemy. This time, Tepei didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out both hands and just screamed. Pure power roared out from his hands, but we couldn't stop now. His left hand struck my sword. It shattered and a hurricane of energy swirled out from it, sending me shooting backwards. His right hand closed over natsu's foot. The fire went out in an instant. Natsu's eyes widened as the Count smashed him down into the floor. The concrete cracked with the force of the impact. Natsu coughed violently, blood spurting from his mouth. I struggled up, groaning.<p>

DON'T MOVE.  
>I didn't. The force of the telepathic shout froze me to the spot. As the dust cleared, I noticed a few things. Thought about a few things. There wasn't any way that we would be able to out move this guy. He was very fast. While he had an obvious skill in telepathy and illusion magic, it was probably not very powerful, meaning that the power he had absorbed over the decades had manifested itself in some other form. His youth, yes, but there was something I was missing. There was obviously a reason for his augmented speed and power.<p>

Then it hit me. So freaking simple. Not necessarily easy to beat, but simple.

"I get it now," I said.

"Pardon?" Tepei inquired. He was now gripping Natsu by the throat, squeezing. Natsu seemed to be able to breathe though, choking slightly.

"I said I get it! You transfer your magic to your muscles when you fight. That's what makes you so strong, so fast. You're turning magical power into physical strength."

He didn't look impressed. "Well done, but I hardly see how your knowledge of that helps you." Ha! Of course he didn't. I worked a few things out in my head, before settling on the fact. I knew how to beat this guy.  
>I just had to trick him.<p>

"Make no move!" He shouted at me, "Or I break the dragon slayer's neck!" I held up my hands placatingly.

"I'm not moving! I'm not moving!"

"Good. Now keep your hands where I can see them! And keep them away from each other. I don't want you casting!" I obeyed, lowering myself to my knees as I did so. The Count laughed, tightening his hold on Natsu.

"I'm prepared to let you live, provided you allow me to feed upon your friend."  
>Purple light began to glow around the two of them, smoke rising from Natsu's skin. He, Natsu, squirmed, eyes wide with fear and anger.<p>

"I'm prepared to take your offer, Count," I said. Natsu choked out a curse, glaring at me. The Count laughed.

"I thought you Fairies were supposed to be loyal! Pathetic really. I could use a survivor like yourself, Mr Fullbuster."

"Maybe. Depends on the pay."

"Oh, it will be good. I happen to be in possession of treasure. It's worth is insurmountable. Your pay, dear Gray, would be generous."

"A poet!" I said, laughing, "This offer is very tempting! Get rid of the dragon slayer first though. He bores me."

"Gray!" cried Happy, his face contorted in anger. I raised my eyebrows and said nothing to the little cat. The Count chucked again, before the purple light suddenly burst up around him. The purple light he had used on me. This was his absorption ability.  
>This was my chance. Right in front of the Count's eyes, my body melted away, ice and snow shattering in an instant.<br>Tepei couldn't move. He could only widen his eyes as he realised he had been deceived.

Magic has rules. Now, I'm not talking about the things that the Council say are bad or whatever. I'm talking about physics. Magic has it's own kind of physics and it must follow those laws. Fire is still fire, ice is still ice. Power is still power.  
>When you transfer your magic into purely physical energy, then, technically, you have no magical power anymore. No magical senses, no telepathy, no illusions. It's just you and your really, really OP body. But when you're in the middle of a spell, it works the same way. No super powerful punches or flash step or whatever.<br>It's just you. Defenceless.

"COLD EXCALIBUR!" Tepei turned, maybe hoping to prepare a shield or dodge or use Natsu as a shield or…  
>Well.<br>He didn't.  
>The wall opposite us just <em>broke. <em>It exploded into icy shards, bringing the entire ceiling crashing down. The floor around us froze and cracked under the stress of the attack. Natsu fell, weakened but alive.  
>And Tepei's head rolled to a rest next to my foot.<p>

* * *

><p>"How did you know?" Natsu asked after he had rested for a few minutes. Happy fussed over him, worry obvious in the little cat's features. Natsu scratched him idly under the chin.<p>

"I didn't." I said, grinning. Natsu glared at me, rising to his feet and brushing ice flakes off his bare chest.

"Asshole."

"It was an educated guess. I worked out that he couldn't dodge if he was in the middle of a spell, so I set up a plan. After he hit you, I conjured an ice clone and got behind him, ready to attack as soon as he was defenseless."

"Your clones have gotten better," Natsu said, nodding. "They can talk now?"

"Yup!" I said cheerfully, "Now, you deal with his body. I'm gonna look for his treasure."

"What do you mean, deal with his body!?" asked Natsu irritably.

"You're a fire mage. Work it out for yourself."

* * *

><p>"NATSU! GET UP HERE!"<p>

After a few minutes of waiting, Natsu and Happy mounted the stairs and came trotting into the Count's bedroom. They were both covered in ash and I noticed an orange glow coming from outside the house. Body disposal, check.

"Wha... Oh..." Natsu went silent as he took in the sight. There was a chest. A big chest. In the chest was...

Well, let's just say we weren't going to go hungry anytime soon.

"Grab a side," I said, "We're leaving."

Natsu shook his head eyes glittering. He grinned before asking, "Where?"

I paused, stretching and picking up a side of the chest.

"Home."

Home.

I'm not usually superstitious, but as I said that, I felt something. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I shivered. The cold was back. Something was going to happen at Fairy Tail. I didn't know what.  
>But it was going to be bad.<p> 


	5. The Cold

"Blegh"

"How long's he been like this?"

"I dunno. Pussy."

"He doesn't look well."

"If he's going to sleep, does he have to do it on my bar?"

"AH!" I yelled loudly, sitting up. I totally did not scream like a little girl again.

Totally.

There was a moment of silence, nothing more, as onlookers blinked in rapid succession.

"See. He's all good."

I was in Fairy Tail. Okay. Good. I was wearing my clothes. Another plus. I looked down at the small puddle of drool I had left on Mira's sparkling clean bar and grinned sheepishly.

"I dribbled on it. My bad."

The tall girl just sighed and took a cloth to the said puddle as I heaved myself up off the bar stool and smacked Natsu lightly across the head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

I shrugged and went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.

I was so damn tried it was a miracle I was even standing up. I blinked blearily at the mirror, water running down my face and past my bloodshot eyes. I felt a bone deep weariness, creeping through me along with that sinking, shivering cold. I left me moody and tired and confused, unable to think straight. I was muddled and useless. A useless shell creeping through a tundra that grew ever colder as the Winter coiled its fingers around it. Queen Mab's cold embrace a tragic, incomparable disaster in a life of nothingness that would end with my death, a death to cold...

"BLEGH." I shouted as someone swung the door of the bathroom open loudly, making it slam. I whacked my head on the low hanging bathroom cabinet and grunted in pain, trying to steady myself on the counter. The counter was wet. I slipped on it and tumbled onto the hard linoleum floor. I landed on my ass. Hard.

"FUUUUuudgesicles," I began to moan, trailing off as I saw who had come in. Juvia.

She blinked at me.

"Gray-sama?"

"Yep," I just said. Smooth.

"This is the girl's bathroom."

"No it isn't."

"Yes," she said, opening the door again and showing me the ladies sign on it, "It is." She didn't seem annoyed. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if Erza had entered instead of Juvia. Possibly something involving my testicles in a sandwich press.

I blushed. I tried to stand up but did it too quickly and toppled over again. Juvia offered me her hand, smiling.

She really did have a nice smile.

I took it and, as her soft fingers coiled around mine, a sharp spike of what felt like electricity ran straight through my arm, spreading to the rest of my body. In an instant, the cold vanished, as well as the murkiness in my mind. I blinked and rose, grinning stupidly at her.

Huh.

That was interesting. Stupid crushes aside, what had just happened was a magical reaction. Two opposing forces meeting and cancelling each other out. I spaced out a bit, thinking about the possible implications of that. When I came back to reality, Juvia was blushing deep red. I realized we were still holding hands. I yanked mine away a bit too fast and tried to pretend I was going to finish washing my hands. But when I did that I though that it must look as if I was washing my hands because she had touched them.

Crap-baskets.

I scratched the back of my head and grinned again, almost elated that the feeling of cold had disappeared for now.

"Sorry. I just... I've been kind of out of it recently,"

"Juvia understands. Juvia does not care," She stumbled over her words before blurting out, "Not that Juvia does not care that Gray-sama is out of it or not well but that he is in the ladies bathroom..." She trailed off again and smiled at me shyly.

It was a nice moment, us alone, her smiling, me being kind of idiotic.

Until the toilet in the stall next to me flushed and the stall door opened. Erza exited, folding a fashion magazine under one arm. She was in her regular outfit, a skirt and blouse. She smiled at me, but it was anything but friendly.

I wasn't aware that you could actually make that kind of outfit intimidating. She managed to.

"Hi Gray." She said.

I may have done that screaming like a little girl thing again.

* * *

><p>I was walking. I didn't know why, all I knew was that I had to be moving, had to be walking somewhere. Keep on moving Gray, keep on going. The cold was back. It had come back after I had left the guild. I tried to put it out of my mind and kept on walking, hugging my coat tighter around me.<p>

The scene with Juvia had been a little embarrassing, that was for sure. I was usually pretty calm around her but I had been taken off guard. The cold was getting to me, slowly forcing its way into every pore until I wasn't even myself, just a frozen shell.

I kept on walking, my mind hovering in a stupor that I couldn't break out of. Maybe I would die? I could just curl up at the corner of the street or at the bank of the river and sleep. They wouldn't find me until I had frozen to death. Maybe that was best. Maybe it was me?

Was it me? If this cold got to everyone else, everyone I cared about...

It could hurt them. It could be me making it and I wasn't even aware of it. I couldn't let the others die for me. It wasn't fair. Juvia, Erza, Happy, Lucy, Wendy, even Natsu! They were all my friends and what kind of friend would I be, what kind of comrade would I be if I hurt them?

It was the only option. There were so many ways to do it. I went with my way, the most personal way I could think. It was fitting, I thought.

I would kill myself.

I was staring at the guild from my favorite place in town. The middle of the river, suspended above it by one of the beautiful bridges across the town. The guild with all its banners and its glowing golden windows. I could just imagine them all laughing, cheering as Cana beat Macao at a drinking match for the millionth time. I loved them so freaking much. I never showed it but they were my family.

I loved the town. Magnolia was my town, so happy and friendly and warm.

Warm.

It was a warmth that I couldn't bear to take away from them with the cold that followed me.

"Ice make sword..." I whispered, almost too quiet for myself to hear. The crunch of ice forming into a blade in my hand echoed through the empty streets.

It was the perfect place to do it. I could be happy as I pushed the blade through myself and ebbed away from reality. I would see them again, all of them. I was sure of it. After all, there had to be something after death, right? Oh the beauty of it, a place at peace where I could dream until the people I loved came to join me, hopefully, blissfully in a long, long time.

My friends.

My people.

Who never gave up. Never said never and fought until they couldn't stand and that didn't stop them fighting some more.

Juvia hadn't given up when she had no one, nothing but the rain. Erza had fought for her life to escape a legacy of terror and evil and she lived to smile about it. Wendy was so strong, stronger than any 12 year old girl had any right to be, worthy of the name dragon slayer. Lucy, who was always there to pick us up when going on was impossible. Happy who was always grinning and fighting, not a cat but a lion.

Lyon, my sworn brother who had found the light and was just as much my family as Fairy Tail was.

Ur, who had died so that we could all live.

Natsu.

What would Natsu say if he knew what I was doing?

And suddenly, as if the lights in my stupid, thick head had been turned on to 200%, I realized something.

It wasn't me thinking about suicide.

The foreign voice in my head felt my realization as my mental barriers shot up and disappeared. But it was just a bit too slow and, extending my senses, I felt the magic humming through the air.

To the man standing on the other side of the bridge.

"Oh dear," said Daro, "That won't do will it."

Long coat, the sleeves cut off to reveal the guild mark on his shoulder. Blank, mindless face tat sucked in the light and glowed darkness. Horrible blue eyes that his blonde hair wasn't long enough to cover.

My heart seized up. I clenched my teeth as anger flowed through me. Whatever this thing was, he was no ice mage.

The sword in my hand hummed as I pointed it at the mage, who grinned wryly at me and bowed.

"I thought you would have said hello before now, Gray Fullbuster." he licked his lips which, while annoying, was also really _really _wrong. "After all, we ice mages must stick together. There are so few these days." He frowned at his own words and, as if he was trying to remember if he had left the stove on, muttered. "Although, that's mostly my fault." He grinned again. "Sorry."

I was steaming. Literally. The ground around me was frozen and mist rolled off me in waves. A sudden burst of rage swept through me and the sword, which had been the size of a regular blade at that point, morphed into Cold Excalibur. Energy crackled as, unwittingly, I let power free and the river beneath me froze solid.

"Someone's a bit ticked off." Daro snickered.

"You." I said, my voice deadly calm, "You are no ice mage."

"What makes you say that?" He chuckled again. He raised a hand and whispered something and frost began to foam through his fingers, a delicate but complex spell.

He was a mind mage. I knew that. He had been inside my head, influencing my thoughts and my moods over the last couple of weeks. He might have been warping my sense of sight, making it seem as if he was an ice mage.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, his voice devoid of the snark it had previously had, "I control the minds of my enemies, so this could be an illusion, right?"

I didn't offer a response, but slowly stepped towards him. He did so too, until we were circling one another on the bridge as the frost began to condense around us into sheets of furious cold.

"Wrong," he said, and the frost in his hand suddenly shifted in a violent explosion of mist. When it had cleared, he was gripping a sword, identical to my Cold Excalibur but for the ice, which was a horrible black.

Black like the wasteland.

"What _are _you?" I asked, keeping Excalibur pointed at his chest. He was obviously not a normal mage. It seemed as if his ice magic was boundless, as if he had more than one form of it, which was odd for a mage. We picked a single magic and stuck with it.

Not him. Was he even human?

Then the smile on his face came back.

"I'm not going to fight you Gray. Not yet. When its all over, you can sit back and watch as I kill every person you hold dear. Then I will kill you."

"What do you mean?!" I roared. I was furious, so angry that I could barely stop myself charging him.

"Soon, Gray Fullbuster." He said. "Soon."

Then my mind went white, replaced by pain. Nothing but the pain.

Aaaaaand I was gone.

* * *

><p>When I was well enough to actually take in my surroundings, the dawn was coming. My mouth was frothy, and I felt a desperate desire for water. I croaked, but I couldn't bring myself to stand or talk. I could just make noises while the pain ebbed away.<p>

I felt strong arms take me in them, picking me up and throwing me over a muscular shoulder. I groaned. I couldn't make out who it was until I saw the flowing white scarf running down his back.

Not too sure if that was a good thing.

When I was put down, I landed in softness. That is to say, I landed on a soft couch. I was slapped a few times and I groaned some more.

"I got a bucket of boiling water ready if you don't get up," said a voice.

I sat up, glaring and muttering. In front of me Natsu and Happy stood, looking a little worried but more annoyed than anything else. I scratched my head and snarled at the memory of Daro.

Asshole was going to get it.

"We found you unconscious in the middle of the street, so we brought you home." said Natsu, frowning curiously.

I looked around. "This is Lucy's house."

Natsu looked. "Oh so it is,"

As if on cue, Lucy entered, wearing a nightie and bleary eyed from sleep. She was awake however, her face contorted and waving a baseball bat around her head in a vaguely threatening fashion.

"Who the hell a-" she stopped as she recognised us. Then she stepped forward and, in a quick 1-2-3 movement, cracked each of us over the head with the bat. Natsu yelped. Happy swatted against the wall, moaning as he crashed onto the floor. The hit actually seemed to add some clarity to my thoughts and the psychic fog began to dissapate. It was almost worth the bump on my skull.

"YOU!" She said, her voice furious. Forget Erza. Forget Daro. Lucy could be scary. She was glaring at Natsu. "STOP COMING INTO MY HOUSE WITHOUT MY DAMN PERMISSION!" she finished, swatting his arms, legs and general torso area with the bat. Natsu tried shielding himself with his arms, yelping like a puppy.

"Wait!" he cried, "Wait you psycho! Gray was hurt!"

She stopped, lowering the bat and looking at me. I sighed, somehow knowing I would have to tell the story.

So I did. I told them all about my recent chill and the effect Daro had on me. The nightmares and the fog on my mind (although I left the part about Juvia out) and finally, the confrontation when Daro had mentally incapacitated me. I left out what I had been about to do. Mental persuasion or not, that wasn't their business.

The three of them stared, each a bit taken aback.

"You sure you're not like, _on _something?" Natsu asked, looking a little queasy. The idea of the psychic manipulation had really shaken him up for some reason.

"I'm not high," I said tiredly. I suddenly realized how exhausted and how hungry I was.

"Got any food?" I asked Lucy.

"I'll make something," she said, her anger gone. She spoke to us from the kitchen while she cooked up eggs, bacon and while Happy buttered some toast. "We've got to tell the Master," she said, flipping an egg on it's back. I nodded, mouth watering from the smell.

"Damn straight. But I've got a thought."

The other three looked at me curiously. I explained. "He can attack me with psychic magic. Mental attacks and the like. I bet he can force people to do things he wants, against their will. Even influence their thoughts and choices. He was strong guys. Stronger than Zero or Hades I reckon."

Natsu, Lucy and Happy blanched. I didn't blame them. According to the ghost of Mavis, it had taken the newly resurrected Zeref to kill Hades, even after the entire guild had fought him.

"He must have been concealing his magical ability," muttered Lucy, looking troubled. "So not only is he powerful, but he's skilled."

"Did he say anything else?" Happy asked, stealing a small piece of bacon from the pan. It was a bit too hot for him and he juggled it until he could jam it in his mouth.

"He said 'Soon' and then hit me with the mental attack. What do you think he meant?"

Natsu shrugged. Happy looked scared. Lucy plated up the three breakfasts, with a smaller meal for Happy that included some tinned sardines from her pantry.

"Who knows?" she said, taking a bite of bacon. "For now, we need to eat. When the Guild opens, we talk to the Master. We could be in for a big fight."

We all agreed and devoured what was in front of us.

Hopefully, the Master would exile Daro for whatever he was planning on doing (and more importantly, attacking me) and I would be free of the cold that crept upon me even as I ate.

Somehow, I didn't think it would be that easy.


	6. The Trap

**Long time no write!  
><strong>**First things first, I want to apologize to the people who were following this and supporting me. I don't really have an excuse for not writing. I can be a pretty lazy guy sometimes I guess.  
><strong>**I know this is a shorter chapter than usual but I just felt like I needed to get started again. Well, I'm back!  
><strong>**That is until I get distracted by something else.  
><strong>**Love you guys!  
><strong>**Johnny Valentine.**

I don't know what I was expecting. To look out the window and see the Guild in flames? Encased in ice? Our friends fighting for their lives? Or worse?

Nope. The sun rose and, big surprise, Magnolia didn't suddenly turn into a warzone.

Somehow, that was worse.

After rushing to my apartment, showering and throwing on some fresh clothes, Lucy, Natsu, Happy and I made our way down the river towards Fairy Tail. I had traded my regular white coat for a black leather duster, a white shirt, black jeans and combat boots. I slid my hand into my coat and felt the sharp edges of five small stones. Lacrima. After the fiasco at the Grand Magic Games, I had taken steps to be more prepared in the future. I couldn't know when danger would show, so I had filled some Lacrima with magical energy, just enough to feed off should I need it. Lucy raised her eyebrows as I jogged down the stairs and began striding beside them.

"Very dashing Gray," she said appreciatively, "that look suits you!"

Natsu scowled.

I grinned wryly and fished a couple of Lacrima crystals from my pocket and handing one to the two mages.

"Appearances are everything, right? Take these, just in case." They did so, their expressions turning dark as we turned the corner and strode towards the gates of Fairy Tail. My heart skipped a few beats as I grasped hold of the situation. Daro was dangerous as a mage sure, but his powers were what really worried me. He could drive an accomplished mage such as myself to near suicide and not break a sweat. I was terrified about what he could do to the other guild members.

What he could do to Juvia.

"This could get messy guys. Are you ready?" I wasn't sure who I was asking, them or myself.

"Let's do it," Natsu grinned.

"Of course we are." Lucy flicked her hair over one shoulder.

"Aye!" Happy cried.

"Here goes nothing," I said, and together we entered.

* * *

><p>Let me tell you about appearances. I chose my outfit for a reason and it wasn't just my stellar fashion sense. You see, it's a mental thing. Daro had the advantage in that category obviously, but I was planning to have every advantage possible. If I showed up looking A. Stylish and B. Confident, that would rattle Daro. Or at least, I hoped it would. The cocky bastard thought he had the upper hand and I wasn't going to let that continue.<p>

As expected, it was business as usual at the Guild. Macao and his entourage, heckled occasionally by Cana, had already begun drinking and were engaged in a heated debate about something. Knowing them, it was perverted. Romeo and Wendy were sitting nearby with Levy. I watched for a second as she shook her head and leaned down next to Romeo, correcting something on his workbook. Ah, lessons. I also noticed Romeo going red in the face, which I couldn't help but grin at. Even funnier was Wendy's reaction, something between rage and envy. Oh youth.

"Hey, look who's back," Natsu said under his breath. I followed his gaze to the second floor and caught the rigid blonde hair and muscular outline of Laxus. The dragon slayer was staring hard at the second floor notice board. I felt tension creep in between my shoulder blades. If things came to violence and the Guild were controlled by Daro, we wouldn't stand much of a chance with Laxus throwing down as well. Hopefully it wouldn't go that far though.

Somehow, I wasn't convinced.

"Go act natural," Lucy said, "Report back if anything seems off."

"Telling me to go act natural is like being ordered to relax," I said, "It's a paradox. What do you want me to do, whistle?"

"Alright wise ass," Lucy sneered, "See you later." She made her way over to Levy, Wendy and Romeo. Natsu decided it was time to not be there and had disappeared to the second floor. I could hear him harassing a tired sounding Laxus as I made my way to the bar. Mira looked me up and down appreciatively and poured me a cup of coffee. Lots of cream. Lots of sugar. Just the way I liked it.

"Nice threads Gray," she said, sliding the steaming drink over to me. I nodded my thanks and turned to gaze at the main hall. I was looking for anything. Anything at all out of place. Granted, I had no idea what I was going to do when I found that something, but it would be a starting point. I also measured the chance of Daro showing up. I decided he probably would and promised myself that I wouldn't do anything. Starting a fight here would be the worst possible decision I could make.

Saying it to myself, I almost believed it.

I obviously looked troubled, because I was suddenly accompanied by a surly Gajeel, who scowled at me. I scowled back. It was kind of our thing.  
>"What's wrong with you?" he asked. I suddenly contemplated telling him. There was nothing stopping Daro from getting into his head, or Natsu's or Lucy's for that matter, but knowing the truth would lessen the chance of being manipulated. I decided not to. I needed to play my cards right for the rest of the day or my friends could be hurt.<p>

"Nothing. Just..." I trailed off because the guild doors had just opened.

And Daro walked in.

Then something happened. It was the last thing I had expected. I should have known something was wrong as soon as I entered the guild, but naturally, I didn't. Because I'm stupid. I'm a big dumb stupid freaking idiot.

"Daro-sama!" cried a familiar voice and Juvia, who had not lunged at me that morning, raced across the guild hall towards Daro. He smiled warmly at her and dodged the flying hug she sent his way. She sidestepped and pushed herself up against him. I'd never seen her act like this before.

At least, not towards anyone else.

The most disturbing thing about all of this was the reaction of the other guild members. Or rather, lack thereof. A few grinned over at it knowingly. Several glowered in annoyance while the majority ignored it.  
>As if it was normal.<br>"What the hell?" Gajeel and I said at the same time. I looked sharply at him. He was staring at the unfolding scene with a mixture of disgust and total confusion. Then I noticed Wendy. She was also staring at Juvia with total bemusement, then glancing sharply at me.  
>Natsu landed beside me, hit a bar stool and swore, then scrambled to his feet. He look at me, looked at Juvia, then to Gajeel, then laughed.<p>

"Aha! Plot Twist!"


	7. The King

**This chapter just felt like it wrote itself. Suddenly, I'm back behind the keyboard and it feels great. Hope you guys like the new chapter. I'm taking some inspiration for Daro from a game, in case you were wondering. If you've played The Witcher 3's "Hearts of Stone" expansion and run into Gaunter O'Dimm, you'll know what I'm talking about.  
><strong>**Enjoy!  
><strong>**(P.S: You have no idea how many times I've wanted to write "Danzo" instead of "Daro." Curse you Naruto!)**

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right?  
>Life had just given me a big bag of rotten lemons.<p>

Daro, his duster matching mine (to my chagrin) swept his eyes across the guild, a pleased smile creeping across his boring face at the nonreaction of the guild members. His gaze stopped on me and the grin widened. That cocky bastard.  
>Honestly, I wasn't sure what to do. An attack right now would be completely unjustified, at least to the other guild members. I would be a traitor. It would look like I had gone mad.<br>But Juvia...

I _was _mad. Really mad. Like, tear Daro's head off and drop kick it into the sea mad. I couldn't do that though. Not only because I'd have Erza, Juvia, Mira, The Master and the rest of the guild hounding me afterwards.  
>But because I couldn't. I knew that if I flew to Daro with violence in mind, he wouldn't allow me to get a single hit in.<p>

So I was going to have to get political.  
>Gross. I hate politics.<p>

And then I looked at Natsu. His face was caught somewhere between laughter and bemusement. It didn't suit him. Then Gajeel, who looked like someone had just puked on his shoes.

Not that that was an unusual expression for him to have though.

"Gray," he said, measuring his words carefully, "what the hell is going on?"

And suddenly I got it. Wendy's reaction sealed the deal. For whatever reason, Daro couldn't manipulate one group of people at the guild.  
>The Dragon Slayers.<p>

That changed things. That changed _everything._ I had allies now. Strong ones. Laxus, who would have been a hinderance, was now and ally to us just the same as Gajeel and Wendy.

"Explain in a minute," I muttered. I was dimly aware that Lucy had no reaction to Juvia's behavior around Daro. She wasn't a dragon slayer, so I guess that made sense.

I glared Daro right in the eyes and gestured tightly at a table sitting in the center of the room. He smiled again and obliged, Juvia in tow.  
>I turned to Natsu.<br>"You got my back, right?"

He cackled.

"Of course. I just _can't_ miss this!"

When it rains, it pours.

And so we parlayed.

* * *

><p>I sat down first. I wanted to start, to take control of this situation. As much control as I could hope for at any rate. There was no denying that Daro had the floor. He had the trump card and he had the power. I had no idea what his final goal was, but I knew that if he asked me to jump, I would have to grit my teeth and ask how high?<p>

I didn't like it. I hated it. Everything about the shitfest was giving me chills. As I sat down, I noticed more and more that the otherworldly cold that had been bothering me was returning. It made me even more tense, but I gritted my teeth and pushed the tension and stress aside. I needed to be on top form.

I couldn't lose. For the entire guild. For Natsu and Lucy. For the Master. For myself.

For Juvia.

Bring it on Daro.

He sat down too, and Juvia rubbed up against his side, tersely greeting Natsu and I. That was a strange experience in itself. Juvia was treating me like a background noise, a side character. It pissed me off, as you might expect. It just wasn't supposed to be like that!

Natsu took his chair, look at Juvia, then at Daro.

"That is so wrong." He decided, then picked his nose. Classy.

Daro feigned modesty and shrugged.

"It's what I do," He grinned, then gestured towards the bar. Mira followed suit a minute later, carrying pots of coffee and mugs. I considered raiding her liquor cabinet, but decided against it. I needed to be alert.

"I'm sure you've noticed the flaws in you abilities," I began, before turning to eye Laxus on the second floor. He was watching us talk with an uneasy look on his face. I caught his eye and shook my head. _Don't interfere._

He apparently got the message and nodded, then pretended to busy himself with the job offering scrunched in his right fist. That made me feel a little better. Laxus seemed like a muscle bound fool, but he was there when it counted and he'd shown far more intelligence than he had any right having when we really needed it. I'm not saying I like the guy, but he's an ally. Family. And family always helps family.

Daro on the other hand looked amused at my feigned confidence. His left hand went wandering and found a curl of Juvia's hair, which he began to twirl around his fingers. She didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

Prick.

"I was aware of it, yes. Before today, naturally. Don't bother looking so surprised Gray, I'm far older than I look. I know my power better than any other mage here knows theirs, I'd wager."

His voice grated on me. He structured his sentences very deliberately and purposefully, but managed to do it without sounding uptight. He sounded _bored_ more than anything and it made my blood boil.

"You said you were going to kill everyone I cared about." I said slowly. Juvia didn't seem to notice. It had to be his mental manipulation. I wanted to shake her, scream at her to snap out of it. But Daro could kill everyone here quicker than blinking. I don't know how I knew that, but I did.

I was in the most dangerous situation of my life.

"I may have gotten a bit carried away," Daro said sheepishly, his hand traipsing behind Juvia's neck. She giggled. I scowled, "But I do want to kill _you,_ Gray Fullbuster. Make no mistake." He finished this last with an eerie smile that sent the horrible cold rushing through my body. I tried not to shiver and couldn't. There was a pregnant silence which was suddenly broken by Natsu thumping the table with his fist. He looked furious.

Let me explain Natsu to you. Or at least, Natsu when he's angry. Erza is terrifying, sure and The Master isn't any cakewalk when he's pissed either. But it takes a lot to get Natsu to stop mouthing off and get seriously angry. He was now. I noticed scales warping into shape on his neck and rising to his cheekbones. His eyes blazed. Not figuratively. I literally saw flames spark in his pupil. Juvia looked alarmed but Daro just smiled sweetly.

"I've had it up to here with your bullshit," Natsu said. He didn't shout, his voice simply boiled with immense fury. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get as far away from Magnolia as possible or I swear I will _burn _you."

"Natsu..." I tried to calm him. I was angry too. I was angrier than I'd ever been but we had to be very careful around Daro. I wasn't sure what it would take to set him off but if he did decide to throw down, I wouldn't be able to stop him. Not that I could stop Natsu either.

"Easy, dragon slayer. How about some privacy for our chat, so we can really get down to business?" Daro's voice and expression didn't change. But his eyes did. They were warning us. Not loudly, not angrily. It was just a warning.

_Watch yourselves._

I rocked back a little, before huffing out a sigh and nodding. Daro grinned again and leaned over to whisper in Juvia's ear. She blushed (bastard) and left us, looking back at Daro with that look.

Yeah, you know the one.

The one she was supposed to be giving me.

The man then snapped his fingers and we were thrown into silence. The buzz and roar of the busy guild disappeared in an instant and all we could hear were our own heartbeats.

"Daro-" I began, but he cut me off and waved a hand.

"Let's dispense with this "Daro" business," he said, "It's but a moniker. You may refer to me by my true title. "Nothing."

I paused.

"Your... your name is nothing?"

"Nothing," he corrected, emphasizing the capital, "King Nothing in full, but you may call me "Nothing" for simplicity's sake. "Your highness," will also suffice."

Oh I really wanted to kill this guy.

I looked around the Guild for a moment. No one seemed any the wiser to our silence, bar the other dragon slayers who all leaned forward, as if wishing to strike. Laxus and Gajeel looked ready to kill, while Wendy was shooting me a very concerned stare. I shook my head at them, then turned back to Nothing.

"Nice barrier," I remarked. "Invisible, yet completely soundproof."

"Thank you, I made it myself." replied the mage sarcastically. He fished around in his pocket and fished out a cigarette. He snapped his fingers again and it was lit. He left us in silence for a moment as he breathed in the smoke, before blowing it in our direction. So he lit a cigarette. Big deal. Most wizards chose a certain magical element to use in combat and the like, but most guild worthy mages knew the basics. I could light a candle at twenty paces. It wasn't impressive. He was just trying to rile us. I wasn't going to let him. I felt myself fall into the back and forth of conversation. I was still on edge, but far less so. I was more and more convinced that Nothing had come to talk and nothing more. If we kept our hands to ourselves, we could survive the day.

"You're not human." I said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He wasn't one of us. He wasn't a human mage. I wasn't sure of much, especially in the face of this unknown threat. But I was sure of that.

"Correct. Not entirely, at any rate. I may have once been human, but that time has long since passed. Now, I am simply me. Simply... Nothing."  
>He laughed as if he had remembered a funny joke.<p>

"So, if you don't just want to kill us all, what do you really want?" Natsu asked. He had calmed down slightly, but his voice still shook slightly.

Nothing smiled and stubbed the cigarette out under his booted foot. He took a sip of coffee and sighed. He was remembering something, some memory that filled him with human emotion. Or he wanted us to think that.

Then his smile changed. It wasn't like anything he had done that day. It had more meaning than any word could.

It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.

"It's quite simple." He said.

"I want the end."


End file.
